Parcel tracking with system

As with the transport and delivery of parcels, reliability and quality also play a decisive role in the organisation of a company. DPD Switzerland has maintained a functioning quality management system since its foundation by complying with the quality management requirements of ISO 9001.

DPD has been operating in Switzerland for over 20 years and is now the largest private parcel service provider with 10 logistics depots and 470 delivery vehicles. It delivers over 16 million parcels a year with a team of 900 employees and drivers. As part of the DPDgroup, it has access to over 16,000 local parcel pick-up and drop-off points across Europe and delivers to 230 countries worldwide.

Increasing demands on quality management

Due to the continuous growth of the company, the differentiation of customer requirements and the resulting structural changes, the demands on the company's own quality management have increased. What could be implemented with simple means in the beginning required more and more resources. A lack of standards and the increase in interfaces between departments made the maintenance of process changes visibly more complex. Cost pressure and the lack of transparency led to the desire to analyse processes in a fundamentally value-added-oriented manner and to incorporate their continuous optimisation into the corporate culture.

In order to achieve a long-term improvement and to meet the future requirements of efficient quality and process management, DPD Switzerland has decided to set up a holistic process management system. The following objectives were defined for the implementation of the "Lean Office" project:

• Processes critical to the company present according to uniform standards
• Processes organize efficiently, eliminate duplications
• Interdepartmental customer orientation ensure (control of process interfaces)
• Process modeling tool introduce a system that supports the further development of the organisation
• Process Management institutionalize
• Create a common basis for employee training
• Obtaining AEO certification, further development of quality management (ISO 9001)

Organizational anchoring as the key to success

The go-ahead for implementation was given in April 2013. A process model was chosen as the methodological approach, which should ensure that the objective is understood and supported by the entire company. The organisation of the project should therefore correspond to the size and complexity of DPD and thus promote acceptance of the project and active participation at all levels. This requirement was met with a leanly defined project organisation. It consisted of a project management team and a core team, which also included the CEO and CFO. Depending on the process, individual employees were involved in workshops on a case-by-case basis.

Dynamic process model with short decision paths

At the beginning, interviews with key persons enabled a process analysis, from which a process architecture consisting of about 50 management, value creation and support processes could be derived. Process owners were appointed according to their responsibilities. Parallel to this, an evaluation took place to find the appropriate software system for the development and implementation. In the next phase, A and B processes were developed with process owners, process owners and other persons involved. These processes were then discussed and approved by the core team and the management. The release and thus the entry into force of the processes was staggered. In parallel, the training concept for the introduction and maintenance of the process management was developed and released. In the final project phase, a process manager was appointed who was comprehensively familiarized with the topic and accompanied the modeling of the C-processes.

Integrated management system that grows with you

Right at the start of the project DPD Switzerland recognised that the implementation of an integrated management system would only be possible with the help of comprehensive software support. In addition to the transparency it promotes, it should also provide easy access to the desired information for all employees. In the selection process, IMS PREMIUM from IMS Integrierte Managementsysteme AG was convincing.

The web-based solution enables decentralized recording and processing, which means that no software installation is necessary on the individual workstations. The result is uniformly displayed processes and documents that can be optimally organized by means of versioning and archiving and released in accordance with guidelines via individual workflows. Automatic monitoring functions and information e-mails help process owners to keep track of review intervals and enable efficient maintenance of the management system. In addition to the sustainable work methodology, the modular structure of the software was a decisive factor. It enables risk management, key figures and process improvement to be added at a later date, allowing the system to grow in line with DPD Switzerland's development.

Successful integration into corporate culture

After two years, the "Lean Office" project was successfully handed over to the process manager. The project organization and the methodical approach have proven themselves. The mix between internal project management, continuous external consulting and the ongoing support from IMS Integrierte Management AG has contributed a lot to the success. DPD project manager Tobias Clemens is also pleased about this: "After initial attempts to set up holistic process management in the past did not bring about any sustainable improvements, we were finally able to dispel the initial scepticism with the 'Lean Office' project".

The further development and updating of the processes will continue to be demanded and promoted by the company management in order to firmly anchor the associated philosophy in the company. To this end the management, together with the process manager, defines an annual plan with numerous measures for improving the overall system. It is important for DPD Switzerland that it can count on efficient and reliable software for this task, which not only maps the current status but also actively supports this further development of the management system.